Sunshine Social - BBQ

Sunshine Social is a Mediterranean-style barbecue restaurant and beer garden set in a converted service station at 64 Glengala Road, Sunshine West. The big outdoor area is where the dog comes in: dogs are welcome across the outdoor dining spaces and beer garden, making this the rare western-suburbs local where the dog, the kids and the rotisserie chicken are all sorted in one stop.

The dog setup

Dogs are welcome in the outdoor dining areas and beer garden, and there is enough space between tables for a dog to lie flat without being underfoot. Indoors is off limits apart from assistance dogs. Staff are easygoing about water but bring your own bowl, and book ahead for weekend sessions so you are guaranteed an outdoor table rather than waiting with a dog in tow.

The menu and the vibe

It is charcoal and rotisserie cooking: fried chicken burgers, pork belly rolls, beef burgers, squid and chips, with a solid beer list to match. There is a kids play area on site, which is why the place fills with families, and the converted servo shell gives it a laid-back, courtyard-in-the-west feel. Hours matter here: it is closed Monday and Tuesday, runs a dinner-only service on Wednesday from 4:30pm, and opens from 11:30am Thursday to Sunday, with Sunday winding up at 4:30pm.

Getting there and parking

The venue sits on Glengala Road with street parking along the surrounding grid usually simple enough, and buses run along Glengala Road if you are coming car-free from Sunshine or the nearby stations.

Close by with the dogs

Run the dog first at the fully fenced Collenso St Fully Fenced Dog Park or the open Gresham Way Reserve, both minutes away, so lunch becomes the wind-down rather than the warm-up. Matthews Hill Reserve is another off-leash option toward Sunshine, and Albion Hotel is the fallback pub nearby if the Social is full.

More options are on the Sunshine West destination page and in the VIC restaurants index.